Warrior of Light: The Chronicles of Safehaven
by DarkraiFanGirl
Summary: Evelyn is out training one day when she encounters an Eevee, which she follows through a portal and into a realm inhabited by Pokémon in human forms. She soon learns of a grave threat looming over the land, and lends her strength to her new friends and allies. Can she prove herself to be a true Hero and slay the Darkness once and for all? (Repost)
1. Safehaven

_**[AN: …Wow. I'm finally back after so long. Seriously, it's been over five years. I didn't think I'd EVER be able to return. Well, now I can actually write some decent stories. The two old stories I had were written during a heavy weeaboo phase, and at a time where I wasn't good at coming up with stories. Looking back at them, I thought they were terrible, so I got rid of them.**_

 _ **I've taken up online role-playing as a hobby. (not the NSFW kind, do there won't be any smut), so I should have plenty of inspiration for stories. Most, if not all of the stories I write here will be adapted from roleplays I've done with friends. It'll mainly be Pokémon ones, but there will probably be a story from another fandom, such as Undertale, from time to time.**_

 _ **Speaking of Undertale, if you'd like, check out "Final Reset: The Prophecy", an Undertale fanfic my friend TheMemeMaster is writing based on a roleplay he and I did together. He's got some other great stories as well, such as his other Undertale story, "Birthrights and LOVE", "Shadows and Nightmares", a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon fanfic, and "The Brewing Storm", a Kingdom Hearts fanfic.**_

 _ **This story is rated T for violence, mild gore, dark themes, character deaths, swearing, physical and mental anguish, mentions of severe abuse, and a few instances of implied (but not actually shown) sexual activity.**_

 _ **One last thing… all of the Gijinkas used in this story were pulled from Google Images. I will do my best to credit the artists of the Gijinkas used whenever a new character is introduced, but I won't always be able to credit everyone on my own. I may ask for your guys' help in making sure the artists get the proper credit that they deserve.**_

 _ **Edit: I had to take down the story and redo the first chapter, because not only was it poorly written, as a reviewer pointed out… but I also found the old messages from the roleplay this was based off of, and saw that I left out a lot of details, as well as getting several details wrong. So, I just took the chapter down and re-wrote it. To those who already read the old Chapter 1, sorry it was so bad, but this should be much better. To those who are seeing this version first, I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to review.]**_

 **Warrior of Light: The Chronicles of Safehaven**

 **Chapter 1 (Safehaven)**

Everyone already knows about the world of Pokémon, but what they don't know is that there is another world beyond it, separate, yet still connected. One where Pokémon take on the forms of humans, and gods walk among mortals. This realm is known by its inhabitants as "Safehaven", and the Pokémon who dwell there are known as "Gijinkas", Pokémon who are able to take on human forms at will (though a few Pokémon traits remain, such as ears and tails), while still retaining all of their powers. Both Safehaven and the human world are watched over by the Almighty, Arceus, as well as the other Legendary Pokémon who compose the Counsel. On the surface, it seems like a happy, peaceful place that lives up to its name.

…However, a grave threat looms over the land in the form of a group known as the Bringers of Darkness, who seek to overthrow Arceus and reign over both worlds. Despite their best efforts, the Counsel has had little luck against the Darkness, and have even lost a few of their allies to them. The Counsel has begun to truly fear for the safety of Safehaven… but Arceus sees a glimmer of hope, in the form of a Pokémon Trainer he has been watching over for a while now. Maybe, just maybe… this human will be able to help them turn the tides and vanquish the Darkness once and for all.

Our story begins with a young woman named Evelyn, who is in the forest with her Pokémon, having them train by sparring with one another while she watches. She seems like an ordinary 18-year-old girl: average in height and build, with brown eyes, curly orange hair kept up in a ponytail, and a modest, comfortable outfit consisting of a plain black T-shirt, green cargo pants, and Velcro-strapped sneakers. As her Pokémon train, what appears to be an ordinary Eevee walks along, muttering to itself.

"All right, Simon. This may be your first scouting mission, and you may be a little nervous, but you can do this! All you have to do is scout the area and report your findings. Easy as- huh?" The Eevee notices Evelyn and her Pokémon and hides in a nearby bush, poking its head out to watch what they're doing. It eyes Evelyn curiously, having never seen a human before.

"What is that creature? It seems like a Gijinka… though of what species, I can't tell, only that she is a female. ...Perhaps she is one of the strange beings that I have heard inhabit this realm? That seems to be the most likely explanation. But… what are those strange orbs hanging at her sides? And what is she doing with those Pokémon?"

"Looking good, you two!" Evelyn calls out to her Pokémon encouragingly. Despite the Type Disadvantage, the Absol seems to have the upper hand in the match. She uses her impressive agility to dodge the Lucario's Aura Sphere before turning and striking him in the chest with Night Slash, which doesn't do much. However, it seems that it was just meant to throw the Lucario off, as she follows up with a powerful Thunderbolt attack. The Eevee's eyes widen in shock.

"By the Almighty… it seems she has captured those poor Pokémon, and is forcing them to fight for her own amusement! What kind of sadistic beast would do such a thing?!" The Eevee retreats back into the bush. "I have to tell the others about this! Such an injustice can't be ignored!"

The Lucario stumbles, but quickly collects himself and retaliates with a Flash Cannon attack. All the while, a Gardevoir has been standing beside Evelyn, reading a book. However, she suddenly looks up from her book and scans the area. Evelyn turns to the Gardevoir.

"Huh? What's up, Rose?"

"…It would seem we're not alone." The Gardevoir uses actual human speech rather than telepathy. "I can sense someone else here, and they seem distressed."

"Really?" The Gardevoir nods, and Evelyn turns to the Absol and Lucario. "All right, let's wrap it up! You two did a great job." The two Pokémon nod and walk over, shaking themselves off.

"Oh dear… they know I'm here. I have to retreat…" The Eevee starts to back away, but a leaf crunches under its paw, making its presence known to the group.

"Huh?" Evelyn looks over just as the Eevee makes a run for it. "An Eevee…?" She runs after the Eevee, and her Pokémon follow close behind.

"Damn it, she's chasing after me… Come on, Simon! You're nearly to the portal. Don't let her catch you now!" A clearing becomes visible just ahead, and the Eevee runs with all of its strength. Evelyn isn't far behind, and makes it to the clearing just in time to see the Eevee disappear between two strangely marked trees.

"What in the…?" Evelyn approaches the two trees curiously. Rose, the Gardevoir, arrives with the others as Evelyn walks up to the trees.

"Evelyn, be careful! There's something very strange about those trees…" Evelyn runs her hand along the trunk of one of the trees, inspecting the strange marks upon it which seemed like ancient runes of some sort. As soon as her hand makes contact with one of the runes, they all begin to glow first a bright blue, then a sunset orange, and a portal of some sort opens between the two trees.

"Wha-?!" Evelyn jumps back a bit in surprise and confusion as the portal opens. On the other side is a clearing very similar to the one they were currently in. In the middle of the clearing stands a young man, who is panting rather heavily. He's wearing a brown zipped jacket with a vertical white stripe down the middle, along the zipper, as well as a cream-colored scarf, brown shorts with cream-colored cuffs and large, pouch-like pockets on the legs, brown and white boots, and black, thumbless gloves. His messy brown hair is parted by a pair of Eevee ears, and a bushy Eevee tail sticks out from the back of his shorts. He looks up when Evelyn yelps, his eyes widening.

"Oh no… how did she manage to open the portal?!" The young man dashes off, leaving Evelyn and her Pokémon standing there, confused. Rose is the first to speak.

"Uhh… what just happened?"

"I'm not sure…" Evelyn begins to walk forward, towards the portal. Rose calls out.

"Whoa, whoa! Evelyn, what are you doing?! Are you really going in there?! There's no telling what's in that place!" Evelyn ignores her and steps through the portal, causing the Gardevoir to groan in exasperation.

"Sometimes I don't know why I waste my breath with her…" She turns to the Absol and Lucario. "Come on, let's head in after her." The two Pokémon nod and follow their teammate through the portal. They emerge on the other side, and find themselves in another forest. Though similar in appearance to the forest they had just come from, this forest has a distinctly mystical feel to it. Behind them are the two trees covered in runes, but on this side, there is a stone arch nestled between the trees, also marked with runes. The three Pokémon look around, and soon see Evelyn standing in the clearing, while the Eevee-boy runs all over the place. It seems that in his panic, he has gotten himself lost. Rose walks over to Evelyn.

"…We should probably try to calm him down, huh? And then maybe we can find out where we are." Evelyn nods.

"Good idea, Rose." Evelyn steps forward, towards the panicking Eevee-boy. "Umm, excuse me! Hey!" She walks towards the Eevee-boy, who turns around a little too quickly and falls on his rear. He scoots away from Evelyn as fast as he can as he speaks up, trying to sound commanding despite being scared out of his wits.

"St-Stay back! I refuse to take part in your barbaric death-matches!" Evelyn stops, very confused by this.

"Death-matches? What are you talking about?" Rose steps forward as well, giving her input.

"I think he's referring to Pokémon Battles. He was watching Luke and Angel spar, and he thinks you were forcing them to fight for the Hell of it." Evelyn just stands there, bewildered, as the Eevee-boy speaks again.

"I mean it, stay back! The Almighty shall hear of your barbaric ways!" Evelyn shakes her head and speaks calmly.

"I think you've gotten the wrong idea." The Eevee-boy falls silent. "I wasn't forcing those Pokémon to fight to the death. They were simply sparring, honing their moves in a practice Battle. Are you saying you don't know what a Pokémon Battle is?"

"Pokémon… Battle? I've never heard of such a thing." The Eevee-boy is bewildered, both by the strange term and the fact that this creature had made no attempt to hurt him.

"Yeah… well, it's not so much a battle as it is a contest of skill, stamina, and strategy. The goal is to outlast the opposing Pokémon, wearing them down until they're too exhausted to continue. Not to harm or kill them."

"S-So… you aren't going to hurt me?"

"Of course not. I'm not that kind of person. I despise those kinds of Trainers… who view Pokémon as tools and things rather than living creatures and hurt them without a second thought."

"Trainer?"

"Uhh, yeah. It's someone who catches Pokémon and trains them for Battles, bringing out their potential and working together with one another to be the best they can be."

"O-oh… I see…"

Evelyn nods. "So, I have a question for you as well… how did you that?" The Eevee-boy looks at her, confused.

"Do what?"

"You transformed from an Eevee into a human!"

"Hu… man?"

"Wait, you don't know what a human is?" The Eevee-boy shakes his head. "Well... I'm a human, for example." She points to herself. "We're a separate species from Pokémon. We don't really have any special powers, but we co-exist with Pokémon and work together."

"Oh, okay. I think I understand."

"Anyway… my question still stands. How did you do that?"

"All Gijinkas can change form like that."

"Gijinkas?"

"You don't know what a Gijinka is?" Evelyn shakes her head.

"Nope. Kinda like how you didn't know what a human was. Though… I think I get the gist of it. It seems you guys can switch between Pokémon and human forms." The Eevee-boy nods.

"Basically. So… I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Simon."

"Nice to meet you, Simon. My name is Evelyn. This is Rose." The Gardevoir waves. "The Absol is Angel, the Lucario is Luke, and… huh?" Evelyn looks around. "Shoot… it looks like the other two got left behind by mistake. …Oh, and there's also my Swampert, Gil. But he's pretty lazy. Unless food or swimming is involved, he prefers to stay in his Poké Ball."

"Poké Ball?" Evelyn nods and unclips Gil's Poké Ball from her belt, holding it up to show Simon.

"Yeah. This is what we Trainers catch Pokémon in. …It's a lot more comfortable than it looks, by the way."

"Ah, all right. So, uhh… I suppose I should say… welcome to Safehaven."

"Safehaven, huh?" Simon nods. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that I'm the only human here, huh?"

"I would think so. Anyway, now that I've gotten my head on straight and know where I'm going, we should probably leave this forest now and head to the capital. I'll explain things more along the way."

"Sounds good. Lead the way, Simon."

Simon leads the group out of the forest and to a bustling city filled with a wide variety of Pokémon, some in Pokémon form, but the majority are in human form, or Gijinka, as Simon called it. Evelyn looks around, mouth hanging open slightly from awe.

"Well, here we are. The capital of Safehaven. …Oh, and just in time! It's almost time for an announcement from the Almighty himself!" Simon looks over at Evelyn, who is still dumbstruck. "Come on!" He grabs her hand and leads her towards the town square, where a huge crowd is waiting.

Right as they arrive, a rift appears in the sky above the town square, and Arceus himself descends from the sky. Evelyn looks up, shocked, as Arceus descends to the ground. As he lands, he transforms into a majestic man, dressed in a long white robe and cape with gold accents, as well as gold bands on his arms, and a dark gray sash around his waist. Around the neck of the robe is an ornate golden collar inlaid with emeralds. He is not wearing any shoes, for some reason, and his feet are bare. He has somewhat long, white hair that has two pointed white ears poking out and upwards from the sides, as well as red eyes that hold great wisdom and power. Arceus looks around and clears his throat before speaking.

"Greetings, everyone. I come to you with good news. The Deceiver, Mewtwo, has been found and exiled from these lands. He is no longer a threat to Safehaven, and as such, the festivities will continue as planned." The crowd cheers as Evelyn turns to Simon, confused.

"Festivities?"

"Yeah. Today, we're holding a festival in honor of the founders of Safehaven. Believe it or not, the Almighty didn't found this land."

"Wait, if Arceus didn't, then who did?"

"I… I don't recall. We remember his actions, but his name and identity are a mystery to us…"

"Weird… eh, I guess it's not too surprising. It was a long time ago, no doubt." Evelyn shrugs. "So… Mewtwo was exiled? Why?"

"Oh, that. He… he made a deal with Giratina."

"I assume that's a bad thing?" Simon nods. It suddenly dawns on Evelyn that the crowd has become oddly silent. She looks around and soon finds out why. Arceus has fallen silent, and is staring directly at Evelyn, eyes wide in shock. The crowd follows his gaze, and they begin to whisper amongst one another, occasionally giving Evelyn a curious glance. Evelyn shrinks away slightly, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and exposed. Rose inches closer to her Trainer, prepared to protect Evelyn if anyone tries to attack her.

What appears to be a young boy steps out of the crowd and heads towards Arceus. The boy is dressed in puffy pink pants and a short, pink, closed vest with a furry collar and a blue pendant around his neck. A pink sash is tied around his waist, with a long train of fabric extending from the back, almost like a tail, with a blue ball towards the end. He has pinkish-white hair partially covered by a pink turban, pointed, cat-like ears, and bright blue eyes. _That must be Mew,_ Evelyn thinks to herself. Mew walks over to Arceus and grips his shoulder, shaking him lightly and snapping him back to his senses.

"H-huh? Oh, er… right." Arceus clears his throat and addresses the crowd once more. "So, as I stated… Mewtwo is gone, and the festival shall proceed as planned. I myself shall be staying for the festivities as well. That is all." Arceus walks away as the crowd shrugs and goes about their business. Simon turns to Evelyn.

"That was strange… I've never seen the Almighty behave in such a manner before."

"It makes sense. I suppose he was shocked to see a human in this realm. I just hope I didn't make a mistake in coming here… So, this festival you and Arceus were talking about?"

"Oh, right! Come on, let's-" Simon stops mid-sentence as Mew walks up to the two. He turns to Evelyn.

"The Almighty wishes to speak to you, ma'am. Would you please follow me to his tent?" Evelyn nods, and she and her Pokémon follow Mew to Arceus' private tent. Mew leaves, and Evelyn turns to Angel and Luke, asking them to wait outside. She then takes a deep breath, composing herself before she and Rose step inside the tent, finding themselves face-to-face with the god of the Pokémon universe himself.

 _ **[And here's the redone, improved Chapter 1. Anyway, I don't have much to say here, since I said it all in the AN before the story. So, here's the credits for the Gijinkas. I was only able to actually find one. As for the other two… the links to one led me nowhere, and it seems the other has since then been taken down by the artist. Anyway…**_

 _ **-The Gijinka used for Simon was made by AJanime12 on DeviantArt**_

 _ **-The Gijinka used for Arceus is the one that I met a dead end on while searching.**_

 _ **-The Gijinka used for Mew is the one that seems to have been taken down, so I can't even provide a Google Images link…**_

… _ **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, more than the original version of it, and I'll redo Chapter 2 as well and post it as soon as I can. So, bye for now]**_


	2. Heroes, Fighters, and Prophets

**Chapter 2 (Heroes, Fighters, and Prophets)**

It takes Evelyn a few moments to gather her wits, but once she does, she faces the majestic man and gives a respectful bow. Arceus smiles as he watches the display.

"Come now, there's no need to be so formal." He speaks in a calm, comfortable tone, a strange contrast to his formal demeanor when giving his speech in the town square. Evelyn stands up straight.

"Sorry. I just figured that since I'm in the presence of the god of the Pokémon universe himself, it was only right."

"Well, I appreciate it, but don't worry, it's really not necessary. …It's been a long time since a human has found their way into this realm, you know."

"I can imagine. So, uhh, I got the gist of it from Simon, but… could you tell me exactly where I am, and what's with this place?"

"This is Safehaven, a completely different realm from your own. The Pokémon living here can shift between Pokémon and human, or as we call it, "Gijinka" form at will. But it's not only those native to the realm. Any Pokémon within Safehaven has the ability to change forms, including your Pokémon, if they wished to do so." Evelyn blinks, and her Pokémon look between one another, puzzled and surprised. Finally, the Absol, Angel, speaks up.

"Really now?" Arceus nods. "Well, that's good to know. We'll be sure to keep that in mind." Evelyn then turns back to Arceus, seeming a little nervous once more.

"So… what now? I mean, perhaps it's unnecessary to ask at this point, but… being a human and all, I can't help but worry that my presence here won't be welcome. It seems you're okay with me being here, but what about everyone else?"

"You may get some curious glances at first, but as long as you do not bring harm upon anyone, which I do not believe you will, the people of Safehaven will most certainly welcome you."

"That's good to hear. Well, thank you, er… what should I refer to you as? Should I just call you "Arceus", or…? It seems the people here call you 'The Almighty'. Should I do so as well?"

"That is entirely up to you. You may call me whatever you are comfortable with." Evelyn nods, and Arceus picks up a glass of water from the table beside him while Rose chastises Evelyn teasingly for being so nervous despite Arceus' obviously calm and pleasant demeanor. Arceus' eyes glow a fuchsia color as Evelyn glares at Rose, who folds her arms over her chest above the red fin-like horn protruding from it, grinning and chuckling.

Arceus suddenly turns his head and spits the water out in surprise, coughing slightly. Evelyn jumps and looks over at Arceus.

"Is… is something wrong?" Arceus stares off into the distance for a moment before his eyes return to normal, and he turns to Evelyn, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Oh, it's nothing." Evelyn frowns a bit, but doesn't press the issue.

"Well… all right. Did you need to talk to me about anything else?" Arceus shakes his head.

"No, that was all. It was a pleasure meeting you, Evelyn. You may come and speak with me any time you wish."

"Thanks, Arceus." She turns to her Pokémon. "So… why don't we go find Simon and see what he's up to?" The Pokémon nod in agreement, and they all leave the tent and make their way back towards the crowds. Before long, they find Simon at a tent, wearing a turban and sitting in front of a crystal ball. Evelyn enters the tent and walks up to Simon, who looks up from the crystal ball as she approaches.

"Oh, hey Evelyn. What did the Almighty want to speak to you about?"

"He just wanted to welcome me to Safehaven and assure me that I was more than welcome here. Though, while Rose and I were... having a discussion..." Evelyn frowns at Rose, who sticks her tongue out playfully. Evelyn rolls her eyes before continuing to speak. "...he suddenly spat out the water he was drinking. He seemed to be surprised by something, though he didn't say what. But… I suppose it's not that important as far as we're concerned. Anyway… what are you up to?"

"Oh, I'm trying my luck at fortune-telling. Want me to try and read your fortune?"

"Sure, why not?" Evelyn sits down in the chair in front of Simon, nodding and smiling. Simon closes his eyes and places his hands on the crystal ball, concentrating so hard that beads of sweat start to run down his face. Meanwhile, Rose is standing off to the side, watching the display with an amused expression on her face. Being a Psychic Pokémon, and a relatively powerful one at that, seeing the future and reading minds was second nature to her.

"I see… I see…!" Simon sighs and takes his hands off the crystal ball. "I see nothing. It's just like last time. I'll never be like them…"

"Like who?"

"My parents, and my grandparents, and so on…"

"Oh, were they fortune-tellers?"

"No… they were Heroes. My family is famous for producing many great Heroes."

"I'm probably gonna sound like an idiot here, but… Heroes?"

"Yes, Heroes. They're brave and powerful Pokémon who have accomplished legendary feats… among many others, there was an Umbreon who faced the unstoppable Regigigas, and an Espeon who foretold the awakening of the deadly Yveltal! Both of these Heroes were from my family."

"Wait… Pokémon can be evil here? In my world, we believe that there are no evil Pokémon, only Pokémon who are forced to do evil things by humans. But seeing as I'm the only human here… I take it that's not the case in Safehaven?"

"There are many Pokémon who wish to overthrow Arceus and reign over the realm, the worst of them all being the Demon, Giratina. They are known collectively as the 'Bringers of Darkness'."

"Oh wow…" Something clicks in Evelyn's mind. "Is that why Mewtwo was exiled? He was one of them?" Simon nods. "I see… so, who all are the evil ones here?"

"Well, there's the Demon, Giratina, the Malevolent Maestro, Kyurem, the Reaper, Yveltal, the Colossus, Regigigas, and his creations, the Regis, the Beast, Groudon, the Deceiver, Mewtwo, and the Phantom, Darkrai. …That's all so far, though we may lose others to the Darkness." Evelyn blinks.

"Wait… did you say Darkrai? You sure he's one of them?"

"Wait, what? Well, we have no definitive proof… but, the way he hides away from everyone, vanishing into the shadows whenever someone sees him… how could he not be?" Angel and Rose step forward, Rose speaking first.

"Have you considered the possibility that you're simply prejudiced because of his sinister appearance and the fact that he's a Dark-Type?" Simon blinks, confused, as Angel speaks up.

"I am an Absol, also a Dark-Type Pokémon. My entire race was forced to live in isolation in the mountains due to wrongful prejudice. The humans… we would try to warn them whenever we sensed that a disaster was coming, but they misinterpreted our intentions, and began to accuse us of beings the ones causing the disasters we tried to warn them about, and began to hunt us. We had nothing but good intentions… yet we were forced into isolation so that we would not be killed, simply because we were misunderstood."

"W-well… what about the sudden vanishing? And why are you defending Darkrai, out of all of them?"

"Because I've met Darkrai. …My world's Darkrai, that is. I once visited a place known as Alamos Town, and he was living within the gardens there. It took some time to gain his trust and get him not to flee whenever I tried to approach, but once I did… I learned that all the misconceptions about him were false. He was not evil; he wasn't even aggressive. He was actually quite friendly and docile, albeit very reclusive. He had given up on trying to convince people, and decided it was better to isolate himself and avoid conflict rather than struggle fruitlessly to prove his innocence. But I could see it in his eyes… he was lonely. He didn't want to stay away from everyone, but he had long since given up hope that he would ever be welcomed by people." She sighs. "My point is… how do you know that's not the case here as well?"

"…Perhaps you're right. But we've spent so long believing that he's part of the Darkness…"

"I suppose we'll find out eventually." Rose looks at Evelyn, surprised.

"'We'? Evelyn, you're not seriously planning on STAYING here, are you?! What about your family? Your position in the Hoenn League? How do you think everyone will react when the Champion vanishes without a trace?" Evelyn shrugs.

"I mean, why not stay a while? This seems like an interesting place. And you know that, aside from my family and a few close friends, I prefer the company of Pokémon over humans. Plus, I'm not all that concerned about my position as Hoenn League Champion. If the League feels it's necessary to choose a new Champion, that's fine with me. Maybe they'll give the position back to Wallace. He was a good Champion." Rose groans and facepalms, while Simon seems happy.

"You're staying? That's great! We can hang out more, and maybe you can help me become a Hero, and…" Evelyn smiles as Simon rambles happily.

…Meanwhile, miles away in a cave in the mountains, a Pokémon sits there, observing Evelyn using his psychic powers.

"Evelyn, huh…? A champion from the other realm…"

…Evelyn interrupts Simon as politely as she can.

"Though, before any of that, you'll have to show me around and teach me how things work around here."

"Oh yeah, that's true. Well, you already saw the forest. …Oh, that reminds me! Remember when you explained Pokémon Battles to me?" Evelyn nods, and Simon pulls a flyer out of his pocket, handing it to Evelyn. "It sounded familiar, so I looked around, and… bam!"

Evelyn looks down at the flyer, which advertises some kind of sporting event.

 _We welcome you to a night you'll never forget! This Monday, Hamba vs. Lee at the Colosseum. BE THERE!_

"…A Colosseum, huh? Where I'm from, Battles can happen anytime, anywhere. All you need is two or more Trainers." Evelyn taps the flyer. "An organized event like this is more reminiscent of a Gym Battle, or a League tournament. …In my world, being a Pokémon Trainer can be anywhere from a simple hobby to a full-fledged career."

"Oh wow… that's pretty cool." Simon smiles, happy to learn more about humans. "So… do you think you'd be interested in checking out the Colosseum?"

"I don't see why not. Anyway, the flyer says Monday… which is today." Simon nods and checks his watch.

"It'll be starting in a couple of hours. We have plenty of time to get there." Evelyn nods, and the group heads down the road, towards the Colosseum.

"Hey… Simon? While I was talking to Arceus, he mentioned that my Pokémon can take on "Gijinka" forms too, if they wanted."

"Well, if the Almighty says it, then it must be true."

"Yeah, but… how would that work?"

"If it works the same way as it does for us, all you have to do is close your eyes and imagine yourself in a human form. Focus on it, and it should happen immediately."

"Interesting." Evelyn turns to her Pokémon. "Anyone wanna try that?" Angel nods and steps forward. She closes her eyes and focuses as instructed. Her form shifts, and she changes from an Absol into a woman with some Absol-like traits. She has a normal complexion, and her red eyes are framed with dark lashes. The majority of her hair is white and covers her left eye, though there's a patch of dark grayish-blue hair on the right side, which her matching scythe-like horn protrudes from. The dark oval on her forehead is still there, and partially covered by her white hair. She wears a sleeveless top of the same color as her dark patch of hair, horn, and tail, that exposes her midriff. Over it is a white, long-sleeved jacket with a furry white collar and a black sash near the bottom. She wears white shorts with a black belt, layered over gray leggings, and her tail sticks out from the back of her shorts.

"Oh wow, it worked. You look great, Angel."

"Thank you, Evelyn."

Luke blushes furiously, though it's mostly hidden by his fur, and looks straight forward, focusing on the road. Soon, the Colosseum, a large, closed-in arena of some sort, can be seen up the road. Simon grabs Evelyn's arm and drags her towards the Colosseum. A Persian Gijinka is at the entrance, taking payments and greeting spectators. Simon pays the Persian and leads the group inside. They find their seats just in time for the show to start. A staff member comes around handing pamphlets to the spectators, detailing the matches for the event. The first match is Fang, a Pangoro, versus Boulder, a Conkeldurr.

"Huh..." Evelyn looks the pamphlet over, noticing that there are several non-Fighting-Type Pokémon competing. "It's not just Fighting-Types, huh? I suppose that makes sense, but it is a Colosseum and all…" Simon hears her mumbling and looks over.

"Yeah, there are several fighters who aren't Fighting-Types, though the first and last matches are almost always Fighting vs. Fighting. After all, moves and Types are irrelevant in the Colosseum. It's all about how you hold up against your opponent."

Evelyn nods and turns her attention to the arena as music begins to play. The crowd cheers as a spotlight illuminates the ramp leading to the arena. Down the ramp comes a man with fierce, dark eyes, dark skin, a chiseled face with a sharp, angular jaw, and a head of white hair, as well as a white goatee, with strips of black hair between the two, running up either of his face. He takes off his cape, and Evelyn frowns a bit.

"Uhh… is he really a Pangoro? He doesn't look like one at all…"

Indeed, the man bears little, if any resemblance to the panda-like Pokémon. He has the body of a bodybuilder, with bulging muscles and chiseled abs. He has dark skin, and his arms and shoulders are covered in intricate tattoos. On his right hand, he wears a fingerless glove, while his left hand… seems to have been amputated at one point and replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. Or perhaps it's just a strange mechanical glove. It's hard to tell. He also wears black pants held up by a gray belt. He walks over to one side of the ring and waits for his opponent, like a predator staking out its prey.

Fang's entrance theme ends, and a new song begins to play as a man slowly makes his way down the ramp, shoulders down and hunched over from old age. Once the man reaches the end of the ramp, he stands up straight, and Evelyn gets a good look at him. He has gray hair tied up at the top of his head, slightly tanned skin, and very muscular arms. He's wearing a white tank top with a strip of pink around the arm holes, reddish pants, and dark pink boots.

"A Conkeldurr… I would worry that he's too old and frail to fight, but I know better." Two concrete pillars rise up from the ground in front of Boulder, and he grips them tightly, leaving large, very visible cracks, before continuing into the arena and taking his position at the other end of the ring, facing Fang. The bell rings, and the match begins.

Fang charges at Boulder, letting out a war cry. Boulder stops Fang in his tracks with one of his hard, muscular arms, and slams him onto the ground. Fang stands up, shaking himself off, and charges at Boulder once more, going for a punch to the chest. Boulder takes the hit, leaving him a little winded, but uses the close range to his advantage, grabbing Fang before he can retreat and returning the punch before throwing him into the wall of the arena. Evelyn cringes.

"Oof, that's pretty brutal. Is he allowed to do that, Simon?"

"Yeah, he is. The only real rule at the Colosseum is that fighters can't use any of their moves. Other than that, it's pretty much 'Anything Goes'."

"Wow…" Evelyn turns her attention back to the arena. The match lasts no more than two or three minutes before Fang collapses on the ground, clearly beaten. The crowd cheers as Boulder stands up straight and faces them.

"And that… is why you RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!" He shuffles away as a staff member comes out to help Fang to his feet and out of the ring.

There are a few more matches after that, including one with the Persian from the entrance. This surprises Evelyn, since he looks far too dainty to fight. She soon learns otherwise, however, as he defeats his opponent with little effort. Soon, it comes time for the final match, Lee vs. Hamba.

A Hitmonlee Gijinka comes down the ramp, showing off a variety of kicking attacks. He has dark skin, and is completely bald. His eyes are very dark and almost seem pitch-black. His body is lean but muscular, and he has bandages wrapped around the lower halves of his arms and legs. He is shirtless and barefoot, but is wearing blue-gray shorts and a dark brown scarf around his shoulders, partially concealing the lower half of his face. He reaches the end of the ramp and makes his way over to his side of the ring, showing off his skills a bit more before stopping and waiting for his opponent.

"So that's Lee, and he's a Hitmonlee… not the most creative name, but whatev- agh! Uhh, Simon… why did the lights turn off?" Before Simon can answer her, a raspy voice echoes through the darkened arena, a singsong tone to it.

"You're gonna die now~" The crowd goes ecstatic as the lights come back on, revealing what Evelyn guesses is a Primeape Gijinka. She takes a good look at him, and does not like what she sees. He's very thin, almost emaciated, even. A long, shaggy mane of dirty, unkempt, light brown hair runs all the way down his back, with a matching pair of fairly large, triangular ears on top of his head. The only clothing he's wearing is a tattered pair of brown pants, and there are thick, black, metal cuffs on his wrists and ankles. But the feature that stands out the most to Evelyn is the look in his eyes: the wild, insane expression they hold as he stands there, sharp teeth bared and cackling quietly to himself, makes him seem more like a wild beast than a person. She turns to Simon, frowning.

"Uhh… Simon?" Evelyn says in a mildly concerned voice. "Is something wrong with that Hamba guy? He… doesn't seem to be all there."

"Oh, that's just his gimmick." Simon replies. "The wild, unstable Hamba at his best." Evelyn isn't convinced, but she doesn't say anything else about it and just turns her attention back to the arena as the match begins. Lee rushes forward and strikes Hamba in the face with a powerful kick. Hamba shrugs it off like it's nothing, and Evelyn frowns.

"How did that not faze him? That looked like it had to hurt…" After taking the hit, Hamba makes no attempt to strike back, for some reason. This goes on for a while, Lee striking, and Hamba taking the attacks, unaffected. Finally, Lee begins to grow tired, and that's when Hamba makes his move, pouncing on Lee and pummeling him mercilessly, more like a wild animal than a fighter. Evelyn cringes, and soon, Lee lays unconscious by Hamba's feet. The announcer enters the arena and walks over to Hamba, grabbing one of his arms and lifting it in the air as the crowd goes wild.

"Here he is, folks! The winner of the match, Hamb- whoa!" Hamba suddenly snatches the microphone from the announcer and speaks into it in the same wild, raspy voice from his entrance.

"Lies come from the sky! Fighters come from beyond! Demons can die, demons can die!" Two staff members rush into the ring. One takes the microphone from Hamba and hands it back to the announcer before they drag Hamba backstage, leaving the cryptic message hanging in the air. Evelyn turns to Simon.

"What was that all about?" Simon shrugs.

"Dunno. He does that from time to time. I assume it's another part of his gimmick." Rose looks over and shakes her head.

"No, it's more than that. I can tell… there's more to him than meets the eye. He's not a Psychic Pokémon like me, yet he knows things only a Psychic should know."

"Really? That's pretty weird… anyway, shall we continue the tour?" Evelyn nods and stands up, and the group leaves the Colosseum.

"Hey, Evelyn? If you guys are planning to stay in Safehaven for a while, you'll need a place to stay. You're more than welcome to stay at my place."

"You sure? You just met us today."

"It's fine, really. I don't mind. You all seem pretty cool."

"Oh, well… Thanks, Simon. That's very nice of you." The group chats as they head down the road. At one point, Evelyn is looking around idly… and suddenly sees a man standing in the shadows between two buildings. He's wearing a long back coat that opens up like a cloak from the waist down, and is tattered at the ends. There's a thin stripe of red down the center of the closed portion of the coat-cloak, as well as one on the cuff of each sleeve. Along with it, he wears black pants, boots, and gloves, and around his neck is a red scarf with a strange collar with thick red "spikes" sticking up around his face. In contrast to his dark clothing, he has pale skin, bright blue eyes, and long white hair, with bangs covering his left eye. The man turns and sees Evelyn staring right at him. His visible eye widens in shock, and he suddenly vanishes into the shadows, leaving no trace of his presence. Evelyn blinks, surprised, and Simon turns to look at her.

"Uhh… Evelyn? Something wrong?" Evelyn turns to Simon.

"I, uhh… I think I just saw Darkrai standing in the shadows over there." She points between the buildings. "He disappeared as soon as he saw me looking at him."

"Y-you did?!" Simon panics a bit. Even though he was having second thoughts about Darkrai based on what Evelyn had told him, he was still scared of the "What if?". He reaches over and grabs Evelyn's hand, leading her down the street. "Well, c-come on. It's getting dark. I'll show you around more tomorrow."

"Simon, it's not even sunset yet…" She sighs as Simon keeps leading her along. "…Fine." He leads them to his house… if you can call it that. It's more like a small mansion than a house. "Why such a big house, Simon?"

"Oh, it belongs to my family. Normally it's me and my parents here, but they're off doing Hero stuff, so it's just me for now. Anyway, let's head inside." He leads Evelyn and her Pokémon. They take in the surroundings, and Angel nods approvingly.

"It's very nice in here."

"Thanks, Angel. Hey, uhh… are you guys hungry? I can make us some snacks."

"That would be appreciated. We haven't eaten since this morning. …You want some help? I'm actually a pretty decent cook myself."

"Thanks, Evelyn, but I think I've got it. You guys go ahead and get yourselves settled in." Evelyn nods and heads upstairs with her Pokémon, checking out the bedrooms. They find a good-sized one with a large bed, a sofa, an armchair, and a large window that offers a great view of the sky. Angel walks over to the sofa and sits down, stretching herself out on it.

"Ahh, I like this. Very comfortable. Don't get me wrong, Evelyn, I had nothing against sleeping at the foot of your bed before, but in this form, that won't work."

"Not a problem, Angel." She sits down on the bed, removing the hair-band from her curly orange hair and letting it fall around her shoulders. She leans back a little and sighs.

"…This is quite a change, for sure."

"That it is, Rose. That it is…"

A little while later, Simon comes up to the room with some snacks for Evelyn and her Pokémon, which they take gratefully and begin to eat. Evelyn smiles.

"Oh wow, these are really good, Simon." Simon's ear twitches, and he rubs the back of his neck, blushing slightly.

"Heh… thanks, Evelyn."

Eventually, it gets dark for real, and everyone heads to bed. Evelyn shares the bed with Rose, Angel takes the sofa, and Luke moves the armchair over to the window, opens it, and sleeps there. As they're falling asleep, they think about the day's events, and wonder what else Safehaven has in store for them.

 _ **[Well, here's Chapter 2. I don't have anything to say, so here's the credits for the Gijinkas.**_

 _ **-I was unable to find the artists of the Gijinkas used for Fang and Boulder, as the images had once again been removed from Google Images.**_

 _ **-The Gijinkas used for Lee and Hamba are credited to Tamtamdi on DeviantArt.**_

 _ **-The Gijinka used for Darkrai is credited to xPandux on DeviantArt]**_


End file.
